Tzedakah in the holiday season: Justice, joy and shared abundance

The pilgrimage festivals — particularly Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah — are deeply rooted in the spirit of philanthropy and shared responsibility. Rather than being an optional holiday practice, tzedakah (charity/righteous giving) is the lifeblood of the season, bridging judgment and mercy, fear and joy, earth and heaven.

Sukkot celebrates divine protection and abundance. The temporary structure of the sukkah reminds us of human fragility, while the season’s inherent joy calls us to open our doors. The mitzvah of hospitality (hachnasat orchim) into the sukkah is itself a gracious embodiment of tzedakah.

Simchat Torah culminates the festival cycle in collective celebration with the Torah. Together, Torah study and tzedakah serve as twin pillars that infuse the world with chesed (loving-kindness).

In Jewish thought, business enterprise and philanthropy are not opposing forces; they are complementary components of a unified ethical framework designed to build a just, sustainable society. Commercial endeavor acts as a partner in sustaining creation, while tzedakah provides the moral and social equilibrium needed to maintain it.

Rooted in tzedek (justice/righteousness), the term tzedakah transforms giving from voluntary generosity into an obligation of social justice. Giving is not a personal favor or an act of condescension, but a restoration of balance. Resources are entrusted to individuals to steward responsibly, which includes redistributing a portion to those in need.

The Rambam, Moses Maimonides, explicitly links festival celebration to tzedakah, defining true religious joy (simchah) by our concern for the vulnerable. In the Mishneh Torah (Hilchot Sh'vitat Yom Tov 6:18), he sharply distinguishes genuine spiritual celebration from self-centered indulgence:

“When a person eats and drinks in celebration of a festival, he is obligated to feed foreigners, orphans, widows and others who are destitute. In contrast, a person who locks the gates of his courtyard and eats and drinks with his children and his wife, without feeding people experiencing poverty and the embittered, is not indulging in the rejoicing of a commandment (simchat mitzvah), but rather the rejoicing of his gut (simchat kerso) ... This rejoicing is a disgrace.”

On Sukkot — designated as Z'man Simchateinu (“The Time of Our Joy”) — feasting while ignoring those without basic shelter or nourishment directly contradicts the holiday's ultimate purpose.

Bottom line: True generosity is an attitude rather than a bank balance. While wealthy donors who give freely demonstrate detachment from material wealth, anyone who contributes time, talent, or care to elevate others practices philanthropy. Cultivating a philanthropic mindset within a supportive community enriches spiritual life today and lays the groundwork for greater giving in the future.

RABBI DANIEL KRIPPER is the rabbi at Temple Shalom in Middletown, as well as the author of "Living Fully."